1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sporting goods equipment, and more particularly to baseball and softball gloves having impact detection and annunciation capability.
2. Description of Related Art
The sports of baseball and softball each require the use of specifically configured gloves, designed to facilitate catching a ball and provide protection to the hand of the wearer. These ball gloves are an integral part of the sports, as they allow the players to stop and catch balls moving at very high speeds without injuring themselves. Virtually any baseball or softball game, whether professional, little-league, or a recreational pick-up game, will involve players using ball gloves.
In leagues geared towards younger players, and in recreational leagues and pick-up games, players often use variations of equipment used by professional players. For example, younger players will, of course, use ball gloves that are smaller in size than regulation professional equipment. Likewise, younger players often prefer brightly colored equipment, such as neon-colored ball gloves. Some of these variations are merely aesthetic, and appeal to a younger player's sense of fashion. Other variations, such as fluorescent or brightly colored gloves, are more practical, and can help identify particular players, or can help a player locate their equipment easily. Thus, beyond being whimsical, these various configurations can also serve to assist in certain aspects of the game, and keep or attract interest in the game.
Of the available variations of ball gloves available, most are static, non-interactive variations. Brightly colored gloves, for example, don't change or vary based on events occurring in the game, or react to players' actions or movements. Ball gloves capable of reacting to movements and events within the game would increase the players' interest in the game, and add to the entertainment value of the game.
Thus, it can be seen that there remains a need in the art for a ball glove that can detect and annunciate specific events as they occur in the game in order to provide additional entertainment value to the game, and to keep a younger player's interest in the game.